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April 10, 2011

G9: Red Sox 4, Yankees 0

Beckett allowed only two hits over eight innings, and established a career-high against the Yankees with 10 strikeouts (8-2-0-1-10, 103). Jonathan Papelbon pitched a perfect ninth. Beckett and Bot combined to retire the last 17 Yankees batters of the game.

It was Beckett's first double-digit strikeout game since July 27, 2009.

Marco Scutaro, batting at the bottom of the order, reached base four times; his two-run double off Joba Chamberlain in the seventh gave the Red Sox a 3-0 cushion.

Boston had at least two runners on base in seven of its eight innings. The Sox loaded the bases with no outs in the third. They had a run wiped off the board when Kevin Youkilis slid out of the baseline trying to break up a double play at second base. Mike Cameron immediately singled to score the run "again".

Facing Joba in the seventh, David Ortiz walked. One out later, J.D. Drew walked, Jason Varitek singled, and Scutaro doubled. Freddie Garcia walked Youkilis to open the eighth and gave up an RBI double to Ortiz that sailed into the triangle on the fly.

Dustin Pedroia singled three times and was walked intentionally. He had three hits in each of the three games against the Yankees. His 9-for-13 showing raised his average from .227 to .400. His OPS rocketed from .488 to 1.019!

In addition to his double, Scuatro singled and walked twice. Adrian Gonzalez (who was hit on the left hand by a Sabathia (5.2-9-1-4-4, 118) pitch in the fifth), Youkilis, Ortiz were each on base three times.

All of the other AL East teams lost today, so the Jays and Yankees are 1 GB the Orioles, with the Red Sox 4 GB. The Rays, who come to Fenway tomorrow, are 5 GB.

Asked whether he considered going year-by-year as Jonathan Papelbon has elected to do, Buchholz said, "I gave it a lot of thought. It was a difficult decision in that aspect of it. You play this game to be secure and make money because you can't play baseball forever. If it was me, and I didn't have a wife or kid, it might have been a decision we would have thought about more. I knew what my heart was telling me and what my family wanted."

He added, "I owed a lot to the Red Sox. They drafted me. They gave me an opportunity to come up through the system. This game is not near as easy as people make it seem at times. It took its toll. Thought I was better than I was. They stuck with me through hard situations."

Stomach-turning discussion about Manny's poor character (not sure if you all are watching ESPN). They list the HoF'ers who had over .300 career BA and 500 HR's. Not sure who -- Valentine? -- says, "Numbers are the only thing that he has in common with them." How the Rays told him they "wanted nothing more to do with him."

"Who is the guy behind the plate holding up the yellow things after a Sox pitcher gets a K?"

One sign looked like the three lines of a triple, and the other looked like he just crossed something out, a big blob. I feel like that person's gonna go home, watch the replay of the game, and go "Oh shit I was showing the BACK of my signs! And I'll never get those seats again...."